Being a single mother is very difficult. And driving across the country with two six year old kids as a single mom is even harder. That right there, is exactly what I did a couple months ago. And if it wasn’t for my PACK Gear Backpack Organizer I can honestly say my journey would have been much more stressful.

We drove from Boston to Los Angeles because I was starting a new job. The trip took us a week to complete, and with limited space in the car, it was extremely difficult. We brought pretty much everything we owned with us and attempted to fit it all into one small sedan. On top of that, it just so happens that three out of the seven days it was pouring rain; definitely not ideal. The few times we stopped and got out of the car, our clothes got soaking wet. I didn’t want my kids to get cold and sick, thankfully I was prepared.

The one thing that I made sure I brought before I left Boston was my PACK Gear Travel Organizer. The little organizer transforms a backpack into a portable closet. It had so much space for everything we needed, like medicine, water, money, some food and even our clothes. With the rain soaking our clothes, I made sure to change my children and my own clothes right away so we wouldn’t get sick. My travel organizer made this very convenient. I would just switch out the wet ones for the nice clean and dry ones from the other compartment. This bag also kept my clothes separate from my children’s so nothing got mixed up or lost in the shuffle. I can truly say that this bag is what saved me. It is by far the most efficient way of packing. One of my friends, a couple years back went on a similar trip. She told me about how she lost a few important things like her favorite sweater and her glasses. And also that most of her clothes got dirty because they were thrown all around the car. We definitely encountered a few problems along the way, but being disorganized and losing things were not one of them.

I could have packed my small items in a bunch of large and heavy suitcases, but instead I chose to use the PACK. This way everything my kids and I needed was always easy accessible. I never lost or couldn’t find anything in my travel organizer, which I most likely would have in a large suitcase.

Most people dream of studying abroad while in college, some students do it, and some don’t. I happened to be one of the lucky ones and actually had the opportunity to go. But it’s not all fun and games; there is tons of preparation needed before you can even think about stepping on to that airplane. You have think about student visas, plane tickets, courses, language barriers, different currencies, and my least favorite… packing.

Before college, I never really spent any time away from home, and I definitely did not spend anytime in Europe alone without my family. I did the abroad Spain program my junior spring of college without speaking one word of Spanish, and pretty much not knowing anything about the Country. The first day I arrived in Spain had to be one of the worst days of my life. My flight had gotten delayed, I had a cold, my phone was dead and the airline even lost one of my checked bags. I wanted to turn around and go home. If it wasn’t for the PACK Gear Backpack Organizer that my parents bought me before I left, I have no idea what I would’ve done. At the time, I didn’t think much of it. I had no idea how much this small travel organizer would actually help me.

The travel organizer fit right into my backpack and helped fit everything neatly into its six or seven compartments. Thankfully, my parents had filled the compartments with everything I needed before I left home. When I arrived in the Madrid airport, I looked inside the bag and what do you know? There was a bottle of cough medicine and ibuprofen for my cold. That instantly made my day so much better because I could finally stop coughing and feeling horrible and actually focus on what I was trying to do. I looked into the PACK Gear Organizer again… and there was my phone charger. This bag neatly fit all of the essentials that anyone would need on a trip like this.

I traveled a lot while in Europe. I wanted to visit as many places as possible because I knew I wasn’t coming back any time soon. However, I had always been a very messy and disorganized person, so I was worried that I would lose important things as I moved from place to place. The PACK Gear Travel Organizer allowed me to travel so many different areas of Europe without losing even one piece of clothing. Turns out is is pretty hard to lose things when your backpack is literally so neat. I always knew where everything was and I was able to travel the country stress-free.

We all want to make sure that we don’t forget anything as we are getting ready to go on long trip. However, sometimes this “sense of security” ruins the trip for us. We think it’ll be hot, so we pack way too many shorts and t-shirts, we are afraid it might get chilly at night, so there’s another couple pairs of jeans and khakis, we think it might rain, there’s two or three more jackets, and we want to go out a couple nights so we bring a suit and a bunch of dress shirts, a couple pairs of shoes and don’t even get me started on socks and boxers. This is what we have to deal with when we’re just trying to go on a nice trip to get away for a while. All of this extra stress we put on ourselves is not necessary at all.

Once I discovered the PACK Gear Backpack Organizer, this all changed. I went from packing two 50 pound checked bags and a carry on, to bringing one suitcase with a travel organizer. With its different compartments, this lightweight organizer will turn your backpack or carry on suitcase into a portable closet in an instant. And it wasn’t even just the fact that I had to lug around all those bags that was the hassle, most airlines charge you a fortune for multiple checked bags. If you’re travelling around the world, flying from place to place with three bags that all have to be paid for, your trip gets expensive and cumbersome. So why not just take one travel organizer that keeps your clothes and all you belongings safe and neat in just one place? We all need to learn how to consolidate what we bring on trips, and the PACK gear organizer helps you do that because it actually organizes your items not just packs them. It's backpacking gear that saves you money!

There’s a problem right now with travel. People always want to bring a lot of stuff to have that sense of security while in a foreign country. The PACK Gear Backpack Organizer not only helps you pack light, it teaches you what you actually need to bring. There are different compartments for everything, which keeps your stuff nice and neat while also packed in the most efficient way possible. Now I know, instead of packing all those extra clothes, I should just bring what I’m actually going to wear. Let go of all that baggage and get out there and explore!

Backpacking through Europe is a rite of passage for many. With study abroad programs more popular than ever, many students are choosing to spend the summer after their study abroad program travelling through Europe independently. Knowing how to pack several weeks or months of constant travel is the key to enjoying your trip. Traveling through Europe’s cities and countryside is meant to teach you about new cultures not what it’s like to be a pack animal. Efficiency is crucial, less is certainly more. Here are 5 tips to make your backpacking experience as awesome as it can be!

Make a list of essentials. You can always pick up another t-shirt when you’re there, but you won’t always have access to a prescription refill or a phone charger. So figure out what your “essentials” are and write them down so you don’t leave anything behind before you jet across the pond.

Plan for all weather scenarios. If you will be travelling across several different countries, you will most likely experience several different climates, even if you are travelling in the summer. Summer means something different at different altitudes and latitudes and longitudes. Pack a bathing suit for your week on the Riviera and boots for your hike in the Swiss Alps. Don’t forget an umbrella!

Get organized right away. Even before you put your first pair of shorts in your suitcase, sort your items into categories and then get a travel organizer. The Pack Gear Organizer helps you do this easily. With its different compartments, this lightweight organizer will turn your backpack or suitcase into a portable Ikea closet in a snap. This is clutch backpacking gear for the traveler going to multiple cities on one trip, since all your things will be sorted into compartments you wont have to unpack every time you get to a new locale. And for the budget traveler staying at hostels where unpacking really isn’t possible, this makes the whole experience so much more enjoyable because you will be able to find that extra camera lens in seconds, not hours.

One of each is a law not a rule. Do not bring duplicates of anything. If you think you will only need one “nice outfit”, commit to exactly that, one nice outfit. Coin operated Laundromats are your best friend when backpacking, and trust me, it is very unlikely that you will run into that guy from Ibiza at the discothèque in Paris, no one will mind if you wear the same outfit more than once.

Comfortable and sturdy shoes should be at the top of your list. Finally, remember why you are going on the trip, to see the world! You will hopefully be doing a lot of seeing so make sure you understand that this means a lot of time on your feet, and I mean a lot! There is nothing quite like wandering through twisty, cobblestone streets of Europe’s medieval old towns. And sore feet can ruin all of that. So find some comfortable shoes and still them right in your Pack Gear.